Romancing the Alpha: An Action-Adventure Romance Boxed Set (6 page)

There were five obstacles on the first day, three on the second. The way the route went, it was almost an equal distance traveled both days, but the race started and ended with a distance leg. The second half of the race on the second day was a sprint downhill to the finish line. It would be muddy and chaotic.

“Thank you,” Mel said, bumping her shoulder against his arm. “I’d probably forget to do that in my excitement.”

“No problem.” He pointed up the path. “Do you want to keep going?”

“Of course.” Her enthusiasm was infectious. Cade liked the physical exertion of a good hike as much as the next SEAL, but this was like a stroll in the park compared to what he usually did. It was hard to get excited about strolls.

Unless your companion was the most intriguing mix of contradiction and mystery and soft, sweet skin you’ve ever encountered.

There was that.

He cleared his throat. “We could get to the top of the ridge and then take the descent path down. That’s going to be tough on day two with all the other racers.”

Somehow that was the wrong thing to suggest. Her eyes narrowed and she tugged her lower lip between her teeth.

“Are you getting tired? That’s okay.”

“No.” She shook her head, not looking at him. “I just don’t want to do that before the actual race.”

He wanted to argue with her, but just like that, she was shuttered against him. Her walls had popped up their own walls. So he nodded neutrally. “Okay.”

She gestured for the map, which he’d pulled out. After looking at it, she pointed to an access point at the fourth obstacle that cut across to the descent path. “Let’s go that far, then over and down, okay?”

“Sure—”

Before he could say anything else, she was off, the map clenched tightly in her fist as she powered her arms like tiny pistons.

Swallowing an unexpected surge of frustration, he followed, giving her some distance. Just because they’d had twenty-four hours of successful flirting without any miscommunications didn’t mean she owed him any answers.

He wanted them all the same. He wanted to know what made her brow furrow like that, made her mouth pull tight and her eyes cloud over.

What had she called him?

An alpha male who wanted to take care of everything.

Yeah, that summed him up.

What was so wrong with that?

Mel needed to learn she could hand some of that shit off to other people. And maybe specifically to him.

— —

Mel didn’t bother to stop at the site of the third obstacle—a series of logs suspended over a ditch of water. She fully planned on falling off and trekking through the water to the other side, getting the passport stamp, and moving on. Nothing to plan or discuss.

Discuss
.

She could feel the questions radiating off Cade. He’d trailed behind her for a few minutes, then caught up with ease, but he hadn’t spoken since she’d taken off like a bat out of hell.

She hadn’t been subtle about her avoidance of the ridge at all.

How could she explain the feelings in her head and heart? They didn’t even make sense to her. She just knew that standing on that ridge would be a special moment, and it needed to happen during the race.

She didn’t care if that plan wasn’t logical.

Preparing for each stage of the race was smart. Leaving a good part of day two unrehearsed was the opposite of smart.

Her heart didn’t care.

But now her heart had some new and conflicting emotions banging around in there, too. Like a sense of obligation to the giant man walking quietly at her side. He’d been nothing but lovely since they’d arrived, and it was all for her benefit.

If she could give him more of herself, she would.

If he’d just fuck her, he could have that part, no problem.

But the other parts—the parts he’d as much as stated he wanted—she didn’t know how to share them.

Her secret hopes and fears.

She tamped down the anticipatory feeling of standing on the ridge and having that moment of long-lost connection, sensing her mother next to her. She might not sense anything. The ridge here in Hawaii might just be another pretty vista, like climbing in the foothills near San Diego.

“Turning here?” Cade asked quietly, breaking into her thoughts. He pointed at the narrow path veering to the left.

She nodded roughly.

“I’ll go first, okay?”

“Thanks.” Didn’t quite seem fair that after being cold and closed off to him, but she still got to stare at his butt. Karma might eventually catch up to her, but for now, she’d take a deep breath and enjoy the view.

This path was an ankle-twist waiting to happen, though, so most of her attention was on the ground and each careful footfall. But every time she glanced up, he was still as thick and broad and tight and perfect as ever.

Cade’s body alone would be a good reason to give dating again a try. Although the fact she just thought of him as a piece of meat might be a reason not to. But damn…he was impressive. And not only on the outside. Not having sex with him—at some point—would be something she’d regret for the rest of her life.

So, he wanted her to dig deep and find some feelings.

She could do that.

Even if it gave her hives.

When the access path opened up on the side of a steep slope—the descent route—she put her hand out and stopped him. After taking a couple of deep, steadying breaths, she looked him straight in the eye. “So you never really explained why you volunteered for this. I mean, other than to be nice to me.”

Cade took a few breathes of his own, holding her gaze the whole time. “I’m not a complicated guy. I had time off, and this was something I wanted to do.”

“But why?” She licked her lips, her mouth dry and not because she hadn’t taken a sip of water. “I’m not being nosy, I’m trying to understand what motivates someone to do that.”

He shrugged. “For the same reason you went racing to Cassie’s side in the hospital.”

“That’s different.”

“Is it?”

“Of course. She needed me.”

“And who do you need?”

She swallowed hard. Nobody. With good reason. “I’ve always been pretty independent.”

“That’s not an answer.” He grinned. “But I’ll forgive you because you still shared something.”

“And because you’re trapped halfway up a mountain with me?”

“Don’t do that.” He leaned in until she could see the flecks in his eyes. He smelled far too good for a guy who’d been hiking for an entire morning. His shirt was wet down the middle, soaked with sweat, and she wanted to peel it off him, even as he looked like he was about to lecture her. “I don’t think you’re difficult, Mel. And I’d happily be stuck anywhere with you, even though you make getting to know you
really
hard.”

The first thought that popped into her head was that she didn’t know why he wanted to know her. But it only took a millisecond to figure out he wouldn’t like that question. And flipping the conversation back to him wasn’t opening up.

Telling the truth would be. “It hasn’t been my experience that people want to get to know me. Not really.”

Stating the truth baldly, without framing it in a sassy question…the share rubbed raw. She didn’t like opening herself up like that. But she did like the look in Cade’s eye, like her honesty was a gift of sorts.

“Their loss,” he said quietly.

“You are too good to be true.” She laughed nervously. “How is it that you’re still single at…what? Thirty?”

“Twenty-nine.” One corner of his mouth twisted up. “Two years older and wiser than you.”

“You know that I’m twenty-seven,” she said, nodding. “Of course you do. You probably hacked into the DMV or something.”

“I asked Cassie.”

“Ah. That’s less creepy and makes more sense. See? Too good to be true.”

“Not even. We just haven’t gotten to my neuroses yet.”

“But you have some?” she whispered, her voice wobbling as he reached up and brushed some of her hair back behind her ear.

“Buckets full.”

“Liar.”

“So rude,” he whispered back, his mouth a mere inch above hers now. “I don’t like losing.”

God, that was too tempting. “Neither do I.” She pressed up and into him, shuddering as his hands found her hips and their mouths brushed together. She should stay here and sink into the kiss. He tasted like warm, lazy sunshine. Pulling back, she licked her lips, tasting him again. “Cade…”

“Yeah…” His lips were slick and parted, his eyes heavy.

They were going to do that again. Soon.

But first…

She placed her hands on his broad, sculpted chest and pushed him back and out of the way. “Race you to the bottom!”

His curses filled the air behind her as she charged down the hill, her feet flying over twisted roots and muddy patches, finding the softer chunks of grass to bounce off as her arms pumped and swayed, keeping her balance.

She’d done some trail running in California. This was way more fun.

At a wide, flat turn in the path, Cade streaked past her, laughing over his shoulder. But then he slowed down, and they were running together. Her legs started to burn, but she focused on her breathing and kept going through the lactic acid buildup, straight into the zone.

When they finally reached the parking lot, he reached for her hand, spinning her around as he dropped his pack. She shrugged out of hers as well, then wrapped her arms over his shoulders as he backed her against their rental car.

“I told you, I don’t like to lose.”

“Might have been a bit of a tie, actually.”

“We’re a team. I wasn’t talking about the run.”

All around her, his muscles tightened. His thighs bracketed her legs. His arms tugged her in tight. Even his chest flexed against hers. They were both out of breath and needed to stretch, but she could see his intent all over his face. First they had a kiss to finish.

“You were talking about kissing me.”

He nodded slowly as he slanted his mouth over hers. “Definitely.”

She whispered his name against his lips as he pressed in firmly with heady intent. His tongue slid against hers as she opened for him, that warm sunshine exploding in all of her senses. His skin, hot under her touch. The salty, citrusy scent rising off his body. The warm rumble of his groan and the sweet, unique taste of his mouth.

Lifting her up against the car, Cade settled his hips between her legs, but he didn’t push it beyond a kiss.

He didn’t need to.

The lazy, sexy way he was exploring her mouth was better than she could have imagined. It was perfect. She slid her hands into his wet hair and pulled him tighter against her mouth, showing him how hungry she was for him. How much she wanted him.

“We need to stretch,” he muttered, his lips brushing hers because she wasn’t letting him go.

She arched her back and stretched her arms over her head, falling back against the car. “I’ll stretch right here.”

He growled and set her down. “And I will happily help you—stretch. For real.”

“You can’t kiss me like that and then stop!” She laughed as he spun her around, gently tugging her hand behind her back as he stroked down her leg. She knew what he was doing. He wanted her to stretch her quad. She let him bend her leg and press her foot into her hand, stretching her thigh.

“Thirty seconds,” he whispered hotly in her ear.

“This isn’t hot,” she lied. Her nipples claimed otherwise.

He laughed and kissed the back of her neck before folding his own leg back into a stretch. “Breathe in through the nose…”

She shook her head. “Okay. So being bossy is definitely one of the reasons why you’re still single.”

“Switch.” He kissed her neck again as he rolled to the other side of her body. Buddy stretching had never been quite so appealing.

The last time Cade had considered having sex outside, he’d been nineteen and kind of stupid. No longer stupid, he shouldn’t be considering it now.

They were streaked in mud from the trail, and they really needed to eat some protein and get back to the hotel for hot showers. And massages, preferably from each other.

Anticipation
. He could be patient.

Maybe.

Mel was right. He was bossy, although he’d probably qualify that by pointing out his bossiness was the result of liking things done in a particular way. His way.

He liked to be in control, because then he could project various outcomes and adjust accordingly.

He hadn’t seen the kiss coming. Hadn’t predicted she’d whip down the hill in front of him, legs flashing, mud flying everywhere.

So he’d chased her, fighting to regain control. Of the race, of the dynamic between them, but hell… He hadn’t had any control over his feelings for her since that first day in the hospital. She tipped him sideways.

And the damnedest part of it was he didn’t mind. At all.

A heady need to please Mel pulsed inside him. It had a twin need to touch her as much as possible, getting and keeping her skin under his hands. But even though she’d kissed him—and let him kiss her back ten-fold—he still needed to back off.

As much as he wanted to fuck her against the side of a rental car, it wouldn’t be smart. The biggest risk wouldn’t be getting caught. It would be pushing her too far. Pushing her at all was out of line.

And she’d just shown him she’d come to him, on her own terms.

Patience
.

“Okay, beautiful. Let’s take your adorably muddy ass back to the hotel.” He squeezed the nape of her neck as he brushed one final kiss across her lips. He liked how her eyes danced at him as he pulled away.

“For hot showers?”

Plural. Damn. He swallowed hard and gave her a crooked smile. “And then some well-earned relaxation on the beach.”

— —

Relaxation? Mel didn’t want to relax. She wanted to get wound up, tighter and hotter, until she burst into flames under Cade’s magical touch.

But she’d told him she just wanted to be friends. So he was tossing the ball back into her court.

And maybe that was good.

He held her hand as they drove back, his thumb rubbing against hers as if to say,
all in good time
.